In the Pipeline: Rock history is on the menu

David Lee Roth, Steven Tyler, Gene Simmons, Alice Cooper, Iron Maiden, Axl Rose — you can find them all in Huntington Beach these days, along with dozens of other classic rock and metal artists.

OK, not in the flesh. Rather, in the form of crepes.

"It's my love of the music I grew up with," laughed Frank Bennett, who, along with his wife, Marty, runs the Rockin' Crepes restaurant at 8943 Atlanta Ave. He was talking about what inspired them to open the eatery two years ago.

"We'd been traveling with our a son a great deal, and we always saw how popular crepe places were in other cities. So we thought we'd give it a go here at home. The music theme just felt like a fun way to pay tribute to classic bands."

To that end, Rockin' Crepes is themed sort of like a club, plastered with band artwork, posters and other bits and pieces of rock 'n' roll ephemera. As for the menu, as Frank said, it's a musical homage. In the mood for an AC/DC (cheddar and Swiss cheese with thin sliced Danish ham)? How about a Quiet Riot (fresh, thinly sliced chicken breast, provolone cheese, tomatoes, sweet onions and pesto sauce)?

There are dozens of interesting bands to choose from, and all are served to you on a delicious, freshly prepared crepe. There are tasty dessert crepes as well.

"We've had some real rockers come in, too," Marty said. "The drummer from Pearl Jam. Members of Avenged Sevenfold. Even C.C. DeVille from the band Poison."

When she's home from college, Frank and Marty's daughter Amanda is often working in the restaurant. And when he's not working, their son Jimmy can often be found there as well.

Oh, and when I mentioned how the family got the idea for a crepes restaurant, traveling with their son, it might help to explain. Jimmy is the teenaged star of the hit ABC-TV series, "No Ordinary Family." And those trips they'd take would be when Jimmy was appearing in films such as "The Amityville Horror," "Poseidon" and "Firewall," among many others.

Over a couple of crepes, the soft-spoken actor talked about how much he listens to the music his dad loves. The kid's a metal head for sure, but a metal head who has been taken under the wings of actors like Richard Dreyfuss and perhaps his favorite working pal, Harrison Ford.

"He's amazing," Jimmy said. "Always has great advice on acting. Always looks out for me. A really great guy."

For his age — almost 15 — Jimmy has an amazing amount of poise and genuine sense of calm, which he thinks may help him on auditions.

"I try and stay as focused as I can, and low key," he said. "It's how my personality is, but I think that helps me stand out from other actors who, at my age, might be a little crazier."

He's thoughtful as he considers his answers, and a moment later, he's back wandering the restaurant, watching football on TV and talking with the regulars.

The Bennett family, collectively, works hard to make Rockin' Crepes a fun, unpredictable dining experience. There are trivia nights, karaoke — and a rock 'n' roll-flavored environment that's totally unique for Huntington Beach.

And, of course, you never know who you might see, be it a rock 'n' roll star, or even the star of a hot new ABC comedy.

Special thanks to In The Pipeline reader Arielle Parker for suggesting this story. As a reminder, if you have a column idea, I'm always open for suggestions.

Have a safe, happy new year. And enjoy the crepes when you visit.

Rockin' Crepes can be contacted at (714) 536-9100.

CHRIS EPTING is the author of 18 books, including the new "Hello, It's Me: Dispatches from a Pop Culture Junkie." You can write him at chris@chrisepting.com.